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Latinos: The group with fewer guns

Whites are the majority in this category in the U.S.

EFE Agency

by EFE Agency

February 5 2013

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WASHINGTON. - Only 18% of Latinos in the U.S. possess firearms, the lowest among all ethnic groups, where African Americans are at 21% and far from that of whites who are at 33%, according to a survey by the Gallup Company.

While the debate in the U.S. continues on the possibility of controlling the sale of weapons, President Obama today made a speech in Minnesota in favor of this option. Meanwhile, the study done by the Gallup Company which has placed conservative white men over 30 years, may be the main obstacle to Obama in this project.

According to the survey, the majority of firearms in the U.S. are owned mostly by white men who are married, and who live in one of the states traditionally classified as “the south.”

On the other hand, out of all the women who were surveyed, the study revealed that only 15% owned a gun. Among the youth it was 20% and Latinos were at 18%.

Still, the greatest differences are not by race, but by gender which the survey showed that 45% of men possess weapons compared to that of 15% of women.

"The statistics indicate that the chances of finding a man who owns a gun, are up to five times more than those of finding a woman," said in a statement by the Gallup Company.

Regarding the geographical factor, the South leads the statistics with 38% of gun owners who reside in those states, followed by the Midwest (29%), West (27%) and East (21%).

"In total, 30% of the respondents confirmed of owning a gun, and another 14% said that they live in a house where there is a gun, but was not the owner," said the statement.

The results from the Gallup Company are from about 6,000 interviews with adults, who were all surveyed between 2007 and 2012.